Latest / Inspirations for Your Life / Humility Without Losing Power (S5) S6:E6

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Humility Without Losing Power (S5) S6:E6 · Inspirations for Your Life

0:24
Hey guys, good afternoon, it is John C.
0:27
Morley here, serial entrepreneur.
0:28
It's great to be with you on Inspirations
0:30
for Your Life.
0:31
Today is Thursday, it's February 5th, and it's
0:33
2026, and I welcome you to the Inspirations
0:35
for Your Life show.
0:36
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thank you for choosing to be here.
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Thank you for coming back.
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I definitely want to say welcome back, and
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I really do very, very much appreciate that,
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and yeah.
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All right, guys.
1:30
So we're talking about humility without losing power.
1:35
This is series five, it's show six, it's
1:38
episode six.
1:39
So welcome back, everyone, to the Inspirations for
1:41
Your Life, the ever-popular daily motivational show.
1:43
I'm your host, John C.
1:45
Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
1:48
podcast host, coach, keynote speaker, graduate student, and
1:51
a passionate lifelong learner, and it is my
1:53
privilege, pleasure, and honor to be here with
1:54
you today.
1:56
This show is all about real growth, real
1:58
leadership, and real power, the kind that lasts.
2:02
Today I'm talking about a skill that quietly
2:04
decides who rises and who fades into the
2:07
dust, humility without losing power.
2:09
In a world that rewards volume, humility looks
2:14
weak, but it isn't.
2:16
Humility is strength under control.
2:19
I like to call it bristled enthusiasm.
2:22
It's confidence that doesn't need noise, and the
2:25
most powerful people in the room aren't always
2:28
the loudest, they're often the calmest, yes.
2:33
Number two, guys, humility sharpens judgment.
2:37
When ego steps aside, learning accelerates.
2:42
Low-ego leaders adapt faster because they're not
2:47
busy defending an image, right?
2:51
They listen, they observe, and they improve that
2:54
ability, which compounds over time, and I know
2:58
that sounds like something that's a little bit
3:01
crazy, but I want to tell you that
3:02
it is very important to understand that, all
3:06
right, how it compounds over time.
3:09
And so number three, guys, listening builds authority.
3:14
When people feel heard, trust forms, trust multiplies,
3:19
and the results speak for themselves.
3:21
Leaders who listen don't lose power, they gain
3:25
influence.
3:25
And so calm presence stabilizes teams and creates
3:31
safety.
3:33
Number four, guys, ego, we've talked about ego
3:36
so many times in the past, and yet
3:40
people still get confused and they get stuck
3:43
with it.
3:44
Ego blocks the growth, it reacts, it interrupts,
3:48
and it resists feedback.
3:50
Humility creates space for clarity, and calm leaders
3:53
see options.
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Others miss because they're not emotionally hijacked.
3:59
I think that's a very, very important thing.
4:06
Quiet authority earns respect, okay?
4:10
Quiet authority earns respect, and I think that's
4:13
another important one.
4:16
Number four, quiet authority earns respect, and you
4:22
don't need to announce strength for it to
4:24
be felt, okay?
4:27
That's an important one.
4:29
And a lot of people think you've got
4:31
to make a big showing on something.
4:32
You really don't have to make a big
4:34
showing.
4:35
It's what people don't see often that causes
4:38
the change.
4:39
Number five, competence speaks through consistency.
4:44
Competence without arrogance lasts longer than any hype
4:47
cycle.
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I know a lot of you say, well,
4:48
you know, I've got to hear it, I've
4:50
got to see it.
4:52
Well, you got to be part of it
4:54
until sometimes you can believe it.
4:56
I think that's probably one of the most
4:57
important things that I can share with you
5:00
guys is that type of thing, is that
5:03
you have to understand like what that means.
5:06
And so, that's an important thing that a
5:13
lot of people, you know, don't realize.
5:19
Does that make sense to you?
5:23
I'm hoping it does make sense, because when
5:26
it makes sense, that's like now giving us
5:30
the premise to move forward, okay?
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Number five, guys, humility attracts mentors.
5:38
People invest in those who are teachable.
5:40
Grounded leaders rise because they're supported, not isolated.
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Power without arrogance builds loyalty.
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And I think that's another important thing, is
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that people think it should be about arrogance.
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But arrogance has no point.
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It has no place.
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It just causes people to get confused and
6:00
causes control wars.
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I mean, that's the ultimate bottom truth, if
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I do say so myself.
6:06
Number six, guys, calm competence wins negotiations.
6:11
Emotional restraint buys time, and time creates leverage.
6:15
Leaders who stay composed, under pressure, control outcomes
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without force.
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I think that's an important one, without force,
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without force, yeah.
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Number seven, guys, humility reduces blind spots.
6:34
Awareness replaces assumption.
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And emotional intelligence outperforms ego in every long
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-term environment, business relationships, and in leadership.
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And I think that's hard for some people
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to realize that there's that pivotal shift, okay?
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And that shift, again, can make us see,
6:56
can make us believe, and can make us
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understand just, you know, where we're going, right?
7:03
Where we're going.
7:05
Not how we're going somewhere, but where we're
7:07
going.
7:09
And I think that's a very important thing
7:11
to definitely understand, that that's where we have
7:17
to go.
7:19
It's about a feeling that we get, okay?
7:25
And this feeling we get is not something
7:29
that, you know, you just derive immediately, okay?
7:36
It's not something you just derive immediately.
7:38
But it is something that you probably will
7:43
understand.
7:46
And that can make a huge, huge, huge
7:50
difference.
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Knowing the steps, knowing what's happening, knowing how
7:56
you grow.
7:59
These are all important things.
8:03
But for some reason, we get lost in
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the weeds.
8:08
And that kind of deters us, doesn't it?
8:13
Number eight, guys, strength doesn't announce itself.
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Skill remains when ego fades.
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The quiet builder outlasts the loud performer, because
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discipline always beats display.
8:25
A lot of us say, oh, I want
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to show what I do.
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I want to, like, brag about everything.
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But why do you need to brag?
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Like, what's the real reason that you need
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to brag?
8:36
And that comes down to an ego, right?
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The fact that we've got to make something
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seem more important than what it really is.
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I think that's the real truth there.
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Humility stabilizes success.
8:55
It protects progress from sabotage and burnout, of
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course.
9:01
Power feels lighter when ego isn't carrying it.
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That's right.
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When it's not carrying it, it causes a
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very, very big, big difference.
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A very, very big difference.
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Confidence without noise earns credibility.
9:21
And grounded success lasts because it's built on
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trust, not attention.
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Humility protects momentum and will always sharpen the
9:33
focus.
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It will always sharpen the focus.
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I think that's really an important thing that
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most people, like, they don't gather.
9:47
They don't understand.
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And that's important to know.
9:52
It's important to know that you have more
9:54
power than you think you have.
9:59
You have more power than you think you
10:02
have.
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Wow.
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That's mind-blowing is what it is, to
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be honest.
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It's absolutely, absolutely mind-blowing.
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I think when we have a chance to
10:22
realize what's going on and rationalize it, our
10:25
perspectives, well, they often change.
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So this is the new power skill, calm
10:38
leadership, emotional control, and humility that basically doesn't
10:44
shrink you.
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It really strengthens you.
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And maybe you're saying to me, John, I
10:51
want this, but maybe I'm scared.
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Maybe I don't necessarily understand why that is,
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why that is.
11:02
And that why could just be, well, it
11:06
could be just you scared of moving forward.
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That's interesting, right?
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It's you scared of moving forward.
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I think that's a very important thing to
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understand.
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And when we understand these things, our world
11:40
starts to shift.
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Our world starts to shift.
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And when our world shifts, it's like we
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suddenly become a person that is different
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in a lot of different ways.
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And that can cause some people to run
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for the hills.
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I think sometimes people don't necessarily understand things.
12:38
And the reason they don't understand things is
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they're confused, okay?
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They're confused.
13:02
And that confusion causes people to go into,
13:07
well, hibernation.
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It's like they suddenly can't do anything, not
13:12
because they don't want to, but because they
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become stunted, right?
13:17
Maybe you're working on something, and suddenly you're
13:19
tired.
13:19
You have to take a break.
13:20
You can't be up 24 hours a day.
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You get my point.
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You have to take a break at some
13:26
time, right?
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You're drinking all this water.
13:29
You're eating.
13:30
You have to use the restroom at some
13:32
time.
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You can't not do that.
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You can't not have a break.
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If you want influence that endures, lead with
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humility and execute with confidence.
13:45
Confidence is a word that I think is
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very – it's a very interesting word.
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And I want to recall it back to
13:52
a post that I recently made.
13:54
Many of you commented on the post.
13:56
And it was, I've always believed good genes
13:59
say a lot.
14:00
Comfort, collection, right?
14:03
But really it comes down to this.
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I've always believed good genes say a lot.
14:07
Comfort, confidence, and showing up as yourself.
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Let me say that again.
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I've always believed good genes say a lot.
14:13
Comfort, confidence, and showing up as yourself.
14:17
I'm an engineer by trade and a lot
14:19
of other things, and I'm easygoing by nature.
14:21
And so if you're somebody that enjoys those
14:24
type of things, I love having conversations with
14:27
people.
14:28
It's about this dynamic of getting to know
14:30
who people are and why people act the
14:33
way they do.
14:35
If people are acting the way they do
14:37
because of an ego, it's probably not somebody
14:40
you want to be hanging with.
14:42
If people act the way they do because
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they want to do something and they want
14:48
to help others, that's different.
14:54
And that means a lot to people.
14:58
That means a lot.
15:00
Because if you understand one thing, just one
15:05
thing differently than you did yesterday, you can
15:08
already become a better person.
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That's what I said, one thing.
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I didn't say a million things.
15:14
I said one thing.
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If you could just change one thing in
15:18
your life, one thing, you'll start walking in
15:26
happiness.
15:29
And if you could change one thing a
15:31
week, you'd get better.
15:34
Maybe 1% better.
15:36
But doing nothing doesn't get us to become
15:39
any better.
15:40
It gets us to either be stagnant or
15:42
even to go backwards.
15:45
I believe we have to keep learning every
15:46
single day of our life.
15:47
This is the most important thing I want
15:48
to share with you.
15:51
I believe you should learn every single day
15:53
of your life.
15:54
Every day you're breathing, you should be learning.
15:57
Now some people think I'm nuts for saying
15:59
that.
16:00
But it's the absolute truth.
16:04
It's the absolute truth.
16:06
And that truth is something that a lot
16:10
of people don't realize.
16:17
They don't realize it because of a subtlety.
16:33
And if we could just pivot, maybe even
16:38
a micro turn or a micro fraction, right?
16:44
It can get us further from zero.
16:48
So let me see if I can explain
16:50
this.
16:50
Think of a knob and think of a
16:52
potentiometer as the knob, right?
16:53
So let's say you start at zero.
16:55
And I turn that knob just a fraction.
16:59
I still got a little better than zero.
17:01
I do it again.
17:02
I do it again.
17:03
I do it again.
17:03
It compounds and I keep getting more.
17:05
Eventually I reach the final point.
17:11
But keep doing it every day gets it
17:14
to work.
17:16
It's that motivation that we build from ourselves,
17:20
not the ones that other people build for
17:22
us.
17:22
Because the ones that other people build are
17:23
nice, but they're not the be-all end
17:26
-all.
17:26
Do you know what I mean?
17:28
They're not the be-all end-all.
17:32
That's probably the most important thing that I
17:35
can share with you is it's not the
17:39
be-all end-all.
17:43
It's not the be-all end-all.
17:47
And the be-all end-all is something
17:50
that a lot of people, they think that's
17:54
the way they have to be.
17:59
But if you could just understand that it
18:06
can change you.
18:15
And that change can give you a very
18:18
big perspective.
18:21
Now when I talk about a potentiometer, the
18:23
thing about a potentiometer is that, let's say
18:26
it was a digital potentiometer.
18:27
And you turn it up.
18:31
I'll use a perfect example.
18:32
I'll use Focusrite, which we use professional recording
18:35
and creation tools for microphones, et cetera.
18:38
So when we turn the input up just
18:42
a little bit, even if it's a fraction,
18:45
and we keep turning, we keep turning.
18:47
But if we stop our power, if we
18:50
suddenly decide we don't want to do anymore,
18:53
it's like the plug being pulled.
18:56
And then we're back at zero.
18:58
We got to go, and we lost all
19:00
that momentum.
19:03
That's what you do to yourself when you
19:04
keep going, going, and then suddenly you say,
19:06
oh, you know what?
19:06
I don't want to do that anymore.
19:11
I don't want to do that anymore.
19:16
That's a very interesting thing, guys.
19:22
Very interesting thing.
19:23
Something that I feel many people don't really
19:27
pay attention to.
19:29
And I'm not going to say it's because
19:30
they don't want to.
19:31
I'm going to say it's because maybe they're
19:33
confused.
19:46
Does that make sense?
19:55
I think that can make a difference.
20:12
Difference doesn't necessarily come immediately.
20:17
But like I was sharing that example of
20:20
the potentiometer, it's a digital potentiometer.
20:22
So most potentiometers, they stay that way until
20:25
you change the knob.
20:27
But all the potentiometers that make real change
20:32
in life are digital now.
20:34
And so if you keep making changes, little
20:37
by little by little every day, but if
20:39
you stop, and in our eyes, stopping would
20:44
mean pulling the power.
20:50
Pulling the power and stopping means you've got
20:51
to start all over from the beginning again.
20:56
And that might sound like something that's pretty
20:59
awesome.
21:03
It might sound like that.
21:04
But is it like that?
21:10
I think it's like that in a way
21:12
because we suddenly don't necessarily get why we're
21:17
doing something.
21:17
But we learn through the process.
21:22
We learn through the process.
21:31
I don't know about you, but I think
21:32
that's wild.
21:34
If we can learn through the process and
21:39
we change things that we can measure.
21:41
If we can't measure something, then we never
21:43
can change things.
21:48
Pretty wild, isn't it?
21:51
So thinking about that digital potentiometer, and thinking
21:54
about you making gradual changes, even they're tiny
21:56
changes, eventually that knob is going to get
22:00
to the end, your success.
22:03
But if you stop, it's like yanking the
22:08
power.
22:09
And then you've got to start all the
22:10
way from the beginning.
22:11
You've got to start all the way again.
22:12
And you've lost whatever momentum that you've built.
22:17
That blows my mind, how we can make
22:20
those very interesting changes, right?
22:25
Very interesting changes.
22:34
Being aware of your surroundings, changing your perspective.
22:47
Because when you do this, you alter the
22:53
way things become for you, OK?
23:02
And that's pretty cool.
23:06
That's really cool.
23:10
But I know people get scared.
23:11
I know people just stop.
23:13
Why?
23:14
Because I don't know.
23:17
I come up with a million excuses as
23:19
to why.
23:20
And that
23:33
itself has its own way.
23:47
I think what we're really going after is
23:51
the fact that change can happen even when
23:55
it's on a slow scale, even when it's
24:01
on a slow scale.
24:03
So I've said to you before, if you
24:05
can measure something, we can make it happen.
24:18
So if your why is not loud enough,
24:22
you're not going to go anywhere.
24:35
If your why is not loud enough, then
24:36
that's why you're not going somewhere.
24:40
I don't mean loud.
24:42
I mean the mission.
24:43
I mean the purpose for what you stand
24:45
for.
24:45
That's the real thing, guys.
24:48
That's the real thing.
24:50
And so we think about that potentiometer, right?
24:54
You could keep putting in effort, effort, effort,
24:56
effort, effort, effort, effort, effort, effort, right?
24:58
A little bit each day.
24:59
Then suddenly you tell yourself, I'm not enough.
25:03
I can't do this.
25:04
Or you start giving yourself negative affirmations.
25:10
And before you know it, you're back at
25:13
0 or negative 0.
25:15
0 is when you just have to get
25:17
positive.
25:19
When it's, let's say, less than 0, it's
25:22
worse than 0 because now you've got to
25:23
undo all the programming that said you're a
25:27
0.
25:28
Now, you might be negative 15 or negative
25:30
100.
25:31
It's harder to undo the programming than it
25:34
is to take you from nothing up the
25:37
ladder.
25:37
That's why it's hard for a lot of
25:39
people.
25:39
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you
25:41
for choosing to listen to me or watch
25:43
me today on the Inspirations for Your Life
25:45
show.
25:46
For more information and inspirations, please visit BelieveMeAchieved
25:49
.com.
25:50
You'll get my short-form content, my long
25:51
-form content, articles, and so much more, guys.
25:55
So definitely check that out.
25:56
But I want you to think about your
25:58
life as a digital potentiometer.
26:00
If you can do that and if you
26:02
can realize that if you keep moving, you
26:03
keep moving, you keep moving, and as long
26:05
as you keep moving every day a little
26:07
bit, you'll always be able to keep moving.
26:09
You keep growing.
26:10
But if you stop, the power gets you.
26:14
And now it's twice as hard to get
26:19
back to the top.
26:23
Let's think of an analogy.
26:26
Maybe you're trying to teach somebody how to
26:28
sing, right?
26:30
And they're doing OK.
26:32
And then they're doing better.
26:33
But then suddenly somebody says, oh, you can't
26:35
sing.
26:35
You can't hold a tune.
26:37
The person feels like crap.
26:40
And they start believing they're a terrible singer.
26:43
And guess what happens?
26:45
Stress, voice crackling, and yup, they now start
26:51
losing confidence and don't even want to open
26:54
their mouth to sing, only to talk.
26:57
And sometimes they don't want to talk because
26:59
they're so worried about opening their mouth and
27:04
what it's going to do and what's going
27:06
to happen when something comes out.
27:09
They're now going to be judging themselves because
27:13
somebody that had no right to judge them
27:15
threw a stone at their glass house.
27:18
And I'll say what it says in the
27:20
biblical reading.
27:21
Don't throw stones at glass houses because you
27:24
know what?
27:25
You live in a glass house too.
27:28
Their house is breakable, and so is yours.
27:31
So don't throw stones at glass houses.
27:35
People that throw stones at glass houses are
27:38
those that have big egos.
27:40
I've met some of them.
27:41
Some of them appear to be so successful,
27:44
but not really.
27:46
They may have one part of their life
27:48
or relationship or money, but they don't have
27:49
the other, and they don't have balance.
27:52
And they're actually miserable, and they hate their
27:54
life.
27:56
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm John C.
27:57
Morley, serial entrepreneur.
27:58
Do check out believemeachieved.com.
28:00
And remember, humility, humility, humility without losing power
28:07
is one of the big keys for success.
28:08
Have a great one, everyone, and be well.